Colton Cowboy Jeopardy (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

She shot him an I-told-you-so look as he stepped outside to take the call.

“Where are you?” Asher didn’t usually bark out demands, but he’d been under some serious stress since his father had been shot by a still-unknown assailant. That came on the heels of upheaval at the Colton Oil offices, as the board dealt with accusations that Ace Colton, then-CEO, was not a biological Colton and thus an imposter. Seemed the grass wasn’t as green on the Colton Oil side of the family tree as Jarvis had always imagined.

“I’m out driving the access roads after all that rain.” At least, he would be as soon as he drove in.

“Oh. Yeah, that was smart,” Asher allowed. “Look, Selina’s in my face, needing something installed at her place. Has to be today. Can you handle it?”

Just hearing Selina’s name explained everything about the call and Asher’s agitation. Selina Barnes Colton remained a thorny presence in everyone’s life as the vice president and public relations director at Colton Oil. Payne’s current wife, Genevieve, and all six of his children despised Selina, yet somehow she’d negotiated a chunk of the Triple R just a quarter mile from the mansion she’d considered her own for the duration of her marriage.

Jarvis credited Selina’s attorney with her posh, post-divorce settlement, but Asher and his siblings were convinced Selina had some unsavory leverage over their dad. Whatever the actual cause, the effect was Asher having to juggle schedules when Selina made noise about needing something on her part of the property repaired or demanded help with one project or another.

The whole situation was an odd echo of Mia’s trouble. It seemed like both Selina and Regina might be unfaithful second wives whom their husbands’ offspring hated. Women who manipulated people to maintain control.

Since Jarvis had been on the ranch, he’d been to Selina’s home to unclog a sink, rip up carpeting for a flooring change, and install new blinds in her home office and a guest room. In general, she annoyed most of the crew Asher sent to help her. She couldn’t seem to be polite and came at the men with either overdone flirty innuendo or flat-out dismissal.

Unlike his peers, Jarvis didn’t mind taking on her calls. He used those opportunities to chat with her about the history of the ranch. So far, her information hadn’t changed his search parameters, but he was gaining insight into the side of the family he’d never met. Although his boss didn’t know his real reasons for not complaining about Selina, Asher definitely appreciated having a cowboy who didn’t gripe about being her on-call handyman.

“Sure thing,” Jarvis said. “I’ll go straight over.” Well, straight there after a stop at the warming hut and his own room for a shower and change of clothes. He could flirt with Selina to get the cup of coffee his system was craving.

“Thanks. Nothing out your way needs attention?”

Only his personal quest. “Everything is clear out here.”

“Great. Let me know when you’re done with my former stepmother,” Asher said.

Silas let out a cry that filtered outside.

“What’s that?” Asher asked.

As a dad, Asher was naturally dialed in to that sound. He and Willow were blending into a family of four with their baby girls, Harper and Luna.

“Radio,” Jarvis improvised. “One of those vasectomy commercials.”

Asher chuckled. “Those always get on my nerves.”

“Kids or commercials?” Jarvis joked, as if he had any clue about the perils or rewards of fatherhood.

“Can’t speak for all kids, but my girls are worth it every single day,” Asher said, proudly. “If you hear Selina say anything useful, you’ll let me know?”

That was one of the first cousin-to-cousin rules of handling jobs at Selina’s place. If she mentioned anything Asher could use to get her off the Triple R and out of his life, he wanted to hear it. “Always, boss.”

“Thanks.”

Mia had quieted Silas once again and she waved at him from the doorway. He promised he’d be back to check on her this evening, reminded her to call if she had any trouble and then went to deal with Selina.

It would be a day working from the truck rather than on horseback as he’d come to prefer, but every day on the ranch beat a day in the office. Convinced Mia’s car was still hidden after the rain, he did what he could to cover the tire tracks to the bunkhouse before heading toward his place. He felt a bit more human after his lightning-quick shower, but he wasn’t looking forward to Selina knowing he’d kept her waiting.

The woman was hot when he arrived, her toe tapping and her face sharp with a frown when she opened the door.

“Oh, Jarvis.” Her entire demeanor seemed to soften without even moving a muscle. “You are always worth the wait.” Her eyes cruised over his body, lingering on his chest and south of his belt before she lifted her gaze to his face once more. “The fresh-scrubbed look is good on you.”

He wouldn’t be surprised if she asked him to work shirtless one of these days.

“Thanks.” He resisted the urge to curl his lip in distaste, or pluck his shirt from his chest. He only now regretted pulling his clothing on over still-damp skin. “I figured you’d prefer fresh scrubbed to muddy.”

“Hmm.” This time the long perusal of his body ended with a fast lick of her lips. “I suppose muddy could be appealing. In the right circumstances.”

She was too obvious in her bids for attention, but Jarvis considered her mostly harmless. She flirted and talked a good game, but he doubted she’d back up that bold, sexy bluster by actually getting muddy in any way, shape or form with a simple cowboy.